Silver Haired Keybearer
by Scyithe
Summary: Through the modification of the game's story, the account of how a certain silver haired male swaps roles with Sora is born. [ “Walk your road along destiny...” “Where is she? Tell me!” “Eighth princess of heart...” “The cloaked man?” ]
1. Awaken from Your Nightmares

**Chapter One: Awaken from Your Nightmares**

Sincerely, this story is _almost_ like a repeat of Kingdom Hearts, except with some twists of my own, some added characters I made up, and changes in the plot. Make sure you note that. Enjoy!

* * *

He was falling.

The swooping sensation resided in his stomach, making him smile, loving the feel of wind against his skin, yet at the same time, dreading it. Yet, _still_ at that exact same time, there _was_ no wind. Just… nothingness. Like he was falling through nothing. He concluded once and for all that he liked this feeling, this sensation of something and nothing, of falling and rising, of coldness and warmth… For some reason, he just did.

His bangs fluttered to and fro, back and forth. Opening his eyes to reveal stunningly captivating aqua ones, almost like a mixture of blue and green, he stared upwards as he fell, his body tearing through the air slowly as the wind parted to allow his body to continue its descent through the dark sky… or was it something else?

_I've been having these weird thoughts lately… Like, is any of this for real, or not…?_

It was as though he were drifting, almost in an ethereal way, slowly through the area. A single orb of light lingered high above him, far out of his reach, though it emanated such great light, illuminating the entire place, though he still couldn't see anything but plain blackness. Reaching a muscular arm outwards, hand stretched as though he wished to take hold and grasp the light, he drew a sharp intake of breath.

His drifting was converted into a tumble, almost like a headfirst dive downwards, with unawareness of where he was going. The speed increased as he continued to fall, slowly gathering velocity, the swiftness rather sudden, yet gradual. He closed his eyes again, though he was not afraid, as though to prepare himself for what would occur next. Trails of bubbles trailed after him as he dropped downwards.

Then it came. In an almighty burst of vibrant and vivid color and light, he stood before the ocean, waves lapping gently at his shoes, shimmering with indescribable beauty, splashing and spraying foam about as its waves tumbled about on the rippling surface, the aqua shade oh so beautiful. His sharp eyes quickly adjusted to the suddenly high amount of light, thus he did not bother to shield them from the blinding rays of sunlight. But what was that thing right there? Standing in the water, merely yards away from him?

Peering intently outwards at the said object, his brows furrowed in concentration, closer examination proving fruitful. There was a streak of brown… some red as well… blue and white accompanying the color. Wait, was that…? Yes, that was Sora! It was his best friend, silly little Sora! Why was he just standing there in the water, as though he had no purpose to remain there? It was as if he were simply standing there for the heck of it!

Stumbling forward in an attempt to run forward and most likely tow his friend out and scold him for remaining there, like he was waiting for the tide to sweep him away, he paused, staring downwards at the water that was still dashing at his shoes. Surprise swept over him when a wave formed, rising feet above Sora, slowly making its way towards him. But the boy was standing there, in the water, as though he had not a care in the world.

Tilting his head, spiky-brown hair shaking as he did, Sora turned, smiling cheerfully at him. He found this behavior rather odd; didn't Sora usually grin with that trademark grin of his? Where had it gone? It seemed like Sora had suddenly took a sharp dive towards the way of seriousness. Reaching out a gloved hand, Sora held it out, still smiling, as though he were patiently waiting for his reaction. He suddenly had the notion to run and swim over to the brunette and seize his waiting hand.

Running forward, straight into the water, his hand was outstretched, reaching to grab Sora's. But the wave was too fast for them. It tumbled over both of them, sending him struggling against the current as he continued to reach for the other boy's hand. Sora just stood there, waiting, smiling. He fought against the current as best he could, but his effort was futile, he was still swept away, away from Sora.

Soon, he burst out from underneath the water to the surface, inhaling deeply, shaking his head as droplets of water dripped from the ends of his silken hair to drop into the water once again. Inclining his head, he began to search around for Sora. Had he vanished? When it was confirmed that Sora was not there since the boy was not in sight, he gave up and turned to look in another direction, towards shore.

"Riku! Come out of the water! You should get dried up!"

"Y-yes! Riku! Come o-out!"

He smiled, and waved back to the two speakers, who were still calling out to him. The first who had spoken was one of his other best friends, Kairi, a charming, sweet girl with auburn hair and blue eyes. The second was Kairi's twin, timid and shy Kaiya. She looked much like her sister, who was an inch taller than her, but unlike Kairi, had significantly longer hair reaching her mid-back that was usually tied in a high ponytail and hair that was much browner. Kairi was the only one she could speak to without stuttering due to her shyness.

Splashing through the water, he made his way to the two girls, responding to their cheerful calls by running faster until he finally made it on shore, dripping wet from being in the water. Breathing heavily at the two, he watched them laugh, when Kaiya gently tugged at Kairi's shirt and stared up at something in the sky. Kairi looked up as well, her interest piqued. Riku, too, finally decided to look up, and stared into the sky as well to see what was so interesting.

It was a pretty sight. There were stars shooting from the sky, but among them was something different. It was in the shape of a person… strangely familiar. Hearing Kairi's gasp, he realized, to his horror, that the object was him! But if he was still falling, how could he be standing there with the two girls? The falling Riku's eyes were closed, as though he were asleep as he fell toward them. Then suddenly, he began to fall backwards, slowly dropping towards the ocean again. The two twins called out his name, Kairi's face wearing a surprised, anxious expression as she called, Kaiya reaching out her pale hand towards him to grasp, but it was no use.

The girls disappeared in a flurry of ripples as he went underwater, vanishing completely from view. As Riku fell, it was as though he were still falling through the sky. Falling into an immense orb of light, his surroundings instantly changed to become similar to the deepest depths of the ocean, bubbles trailing after his form as he tumbled through water again.

It seemed like an eternity before he finally landed on something. While plummeting through the "water", he turned his weight into a flip, landing skillfully onto his feet. Straightening himself up, Riku looked around, taking a hesitant step forward. Out of the ground came white doves, dozens and dozens of them, fluttering higher and higher, away. The ground, gradually uncovering, was soon shown to be what looked like a platform made of stained glass. It was a lovely sight, seeing all those birds flying outwards. Feathers fell, wavering past his face to rest on the ground. When he actually looked though, there was nothing but the glass.

Focusing his attention on the glass, Riku took his time to inspect the gigantic platform. In the middle was a woman with short black hair, a ribbon wound around it, holding an apple. She was dressed in a dress with a high, white collar. The top section was blue, the actual dress area a bright yellow color. Around her were the faces of small men with beards, and around them were small animal images.

However, right now, Riku wasn't focused on that. No, he was focused on the voice he had just heard. It suddenly rang out in the dark area, seeming to echo in his mind. There was no doubt that it had sounded.

_So much to do… So little time… Take your time…_

Curiously baffled, Riku stared upwards, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Whose there?" he called out, his voice reverberating in the darkness. Still searching around, he gave up when there was no one in sight. He was all alone… at least, for now. Sighing, he combed his fingers through silvery hair, unsure of what was going to occur next. But he didn't understand the statement. If he had so much to do, and so little time, why bother taking his time? It was simply incomprehensible.

_But don't be afraid. The door is still shut._

Immediately after the voice had resounded again, he looked around once more. He saw nothing at all besides the stained glass and the black atmosphere surrounding him. "What door?" he asked no one in particular. He wanted answers, and he was definitely going to get them… or so he thought.

_Now, step forward. Can you do it?_

A common smirk slowly made its way onto his lips. Of course he could do such a simple task… who wouldn't be able to? But when he actually tried, he found that his legs would not move at all. It was like he was bound in place by invisible ropes, freezing him in his exact place, leaving him immobile. Gritting his teeth, Riku tried once more, forcing himself to move. Slowly, he raised a foot and walked forward one step. So far so good. He soon discovered that every step he took made walking easier, as though he were gaining experience, one step at a time. A voice in the back of his mind told him to stop when he reached the center. So… he did.

_Power sleeps within you._

With a ray of light, a pedestal raised directly out of the ground on his side, slowly rising until it seemed to end. A shield appeared in a flash of light, outlined in red, mostly black. In the center was an insignia composed of three circles, one at the bottom, two on top of it on both sides. For some reason, it reminded Riku of a mouse.

_If you give it form…_

Another ray of light beamed down on his other side, another pedestal rising from the ground. With another flash, a staff appeared. Most of it was green, but the emblem on the top was blue, identical to the "mouse" symbol he had seen on the shield.

…_It will give you strength._

Last of the bunch, another ray of light came, signaling for the last pedestal to rise from the ground. Perched upon it was a simple sword, some gold and black on the handle, the blade a silver-white color.

_Chose well._

Easily figuring out which of the bunch he wanted most, Riku made his way toward the sword, effortlessly jumping upwards onto the pedestal and picking up the weapon with ease, a small smile on his face.

_The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction... Is this the power you seek? _

It sounded good… he _did_ like using swords to fight, and he _was_ good at fighting. It was a fact he couldn't deny. Opening his mouth to speak, he confidently called out again, "Yes." The said sword exploded into wisps of light, drifting away from existence as they faded. As he turned to get down from the pedestal, the voice spoke again.

_Your path is set. Now… what will you give up in exchange?_

Riku's eyes gazed around at the remaining weapons, lingering at the shield. He did like offensive… but if he lacked defensive, he was sure to suffer. Now staring at the staff, he firmly nodded, stepping down to walk across the platform to the other pedestal. Why not surrender the staff? After all, he preferred melee over magic… it wasn't like he was good at it, even if he was good at everything he tried. But then again, he had no knowledge about magic. Shaking his head, Riku grasped the staff.

_The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. You give up this power?_

Riku nodded. The staff, too, exploded into wisps of light, vanishing from reality. Now he had to wonder. What was going to happen next?

_You have chosen the power of the warrior. You've given up the power of the mystic. Is this the form you choose? _

It seemed that the voice had a habit of voicing out what he wanted, while plunking a question to the end. Chuckling, Riku nodded once more, murmuring a soft, "Yes."

_Your path is set. You have chosen your power._

There was an earthquake-like jerk that knocked Riku straight off his feet, sending him sprawling to the ground – if he hadn't regained his balance quickly. That was when the glass shattered. He fell down again, a strange emotion in his heart, as the glass vanished from view when he fell.

When he landed, it was on another platform, this time depicting a lady in a rather formal blue-white gown, surrounded by some other pictures. Breathing out sharply, Riku took his time looking around, waiting to hear the voice again.

_You've gained the power to fight. Take a swing._

Riku grinned, slashing the sword through the air in a deft swipe.

_There will be times you have to fight. _

To his dismay, blotches of black appeared all over the platform. Emerging from them were strange creatures that had antennas, swaying almost drunkenly as they approached him. To Riku, they looked like oversized, ugly versions of ants.

_Keep your light burning strong._

Positive that he knew what the statement meant, he hefted his sword up a little higher just as the ant-like creatures swarmed around him to attack. He smirked. Time for a little practice. Maybe they'd prove more of a challenge than his friends.

One of them lunged forward, claws drawn out in offense. Riku immediately ducked, before spinning around and charging at it, blade raised. Stabbing and slashing at the creature, he jumped backwards when it dodged when of his attacks by squashing itself into the ground and moving, like a shadow, to another location.

Whirling around, he blocked the creature's next attack with the blade, flinging the creature backwards with said sword. The rest of them squashed themselves into the ground, vanishing.

_Behind you!_

Riku, acting on instinct, leapt out of the way just in time to see a creature fly past him and land onto the ground several feet away. Scowling, the silver-haired boy rushed toward it, attacking it with a series of hacks and slashes. In moments, the creature had vanished in a shower of black particles, but there were still the other ones. However, when he was about to strike at the other, more splotches of black appeared around. This time, nothing emerged from them. In fact, now, the black splotch under him was sucking him in.

Gritting his teeth, Riku reached upward in vain, as though trying to grab something – anything – and get out of the darkness. It made him so… uncomfortable. It was just that the feeling… it was weird and unpleasant. But now, the darkness swallowed the last of his body.

When he next opened his eyes, what was seen was another platform, this one with the shadows of the figures of women. At the edge of the platform stood an elaborate door, almost a pinkish tinge, a complex design stretching its entire length. Riku stared at it, a whisper escaping his lips. "Is this the door that the voice was talking about?"

Heading over to the door, not slow enough to be walking, but not quick enough to be jogging, Riku reached out his hand, grasping the smooth handle of the door, giving it a sharp tug. When nothing happened, he tried pushing it.

"I can't open it…"

Turning around, sighing, he caught sight of a chest. Curious, the boy walked over, attempting to pull it open. Nothing happened. "What am I supposed to do, tap it?" asked Riku impatiently, crossing his arms. However, when he reached out actually tapped it with the sword, the chest swung open and vanished, leaving Riku blinking like there was no tomorrow.

A large box, almost taller than Riku himself, appeared in the center of the platform. Walking over, Riku searched for the opening. There was none. Thus, he sliced it open, the splintered wood flying in all directions before it completely disappeared. However, standing where the box used to be was another box, though it was much, much smaller, small enough to fit into his hand. After opening it, he received a small bottle of a green liquid labeled potion. Afterwards, a barrel appeared in the box's place. When he saw that this, too, had no opening, he sliced it in half with a single swipe of the sword.

Straightening up, Riku turned to gaze at the door again, when he saw, to his surprise, that the door was transparent no longer. Striding over to it, he reached out, and pushed it open. Light streamed from within, blinding his vision almost completely. When he next got his eyesight back, he was back home… At the Destiny Islands. He sighed with relief, about to walk away.

_Hold on. The door won't open just yet. First, tell me more about yourself. _

Riku frowned. The voice was still there. Looking up, he saw three people standing around him, one at each side of the area. The first he saw was Sora, casually leaning against a railing as he stared skywards, grinning. To the right stood Kaiya, leaning against the wall, wearing that serene smile of hers as she stared out into the horizon. At the left was where Kairi was, hands held behind her back as she gazed at the ocean.

"Sora!" he cried out, hurrying to the brunette boy to check if he hadn't been hurt from the wave or anything. "Are you ok-"

"What do you suppose is most important to you?" he asked innocently, turning to stare into Riku's face. He gawked at Sora in disbelief, but decided to answer anyway.

"…Friendship," answered Riku sincerely, watching for Sora's reaction.

"So friendship's that important, huh?" asked the brunette, cocking his head in a way that would remind others of a puppy. He then turned around, resting his arms on the railing as he stared out without saying another word. Riku opened his mouth to interrogate his best friend again, but his legs, suddenly as though having lives of their own, made him walk towards Kairi.

"What is it that you desire in life?" she asked cheerfully, looking away from the ocean to face Riku as she spoke, smiling at him. Riku almost frowned. Something was up with them. Or maybe these people weren't really them, but just illusions that were literally interviewing him? Maybe the voice was controlling them or something… But anyway, he decided to answer every single one of the questions truthfully.

"…To be strong," he admitted quietly, his eyes meeting Kairi's blue ones.

"You really want to be strong, don't you?" replied Kairi, before she too turned away once again to gaze back to the ocean. Riku sighed, and, without being forced by his legs, walked over to Kaiya for his last question. The auburn-haired girl jerked her gaze away from the horizon, her tranquil smile unwavering as she spoke softly in her timid voice.

"What d-do you believe y-you fear most?" she almost seemed to murmur, inclining her head, much like Sora, in a way.

"Being indecisive…" Riku stated, watching the girl carefully.

"T-truly? You truly f-fear being indecisive?" inquired Kaiya quietly, before she too turned away to stare into the ocean. That was when the voice chose to speak again.

_You want friendship. You want to be strong. You're afraid of being indecisive…_

The voice seemed to pause, as though thinking of what to say.

_Your adventure begins at dawn, midday, and the dead of night. Take the light into your grasp and walk your road through destiny. You'll succeed at all you try._

"W-what?" stuttered Riku, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. What did the voice mean?

_The day you will open the door is both far off and very near. _

Hadn't he opened the door? That pretty pinkish door with that intricate design? If the voice wasn't talking about that door, then what door _was_ it talking about?

Abruptly blinded by light, Riku raised his arm, shielding his eyes with it, in a futile attempt to block the light, he was confused when it suddenly went dark, even though he had not yet shielded his eyes. Blinking to adjust to the sudden change, Riku shook his head. "What is happening…?" Brushing those thoughts from his restless mind, the teenager studied the platform he stood upon.

This time, the woman depicted in it was one with long blonde curls, clothed in a purple dress. Surrounding her were black thorns, as though intent on keeping the sleeping lady captive in its hold. Riku took a step forward, and immediately, shadows sprang up around him, surrounding him in a circle. Readying his sword, he shrugged uncaringly and sliced a nearby shadow in half.

Another shadow was brave enough to try its luck, but it pushed too far. The agile boy had dodged its charge, and the unfortunate creature was stabbed directly through its back to end up pinned against the glass, dispersing in a flurry of more particles.

Riku whirled around, lunging towards some more of the heartless, now standing in a small cluster. Raising the sword, he thrust it forward, slicing it through numerous creatures. Nodding with satisfaction, he was about to turn around when something sharp sliced into his back, causing him to hiss in pain.

In another strike, the creature was annihilated, a terrible shriek ringing through the air when it was killed. The next few were destroyed with ease.

Riku turned around, searching for any more creatures, but found that there were no more. A glimmer caught his eye, causing him to look in the direction of the sparkle. Watching in fascination as stained glass seemed to magically appear, one after another, to form a staircase, he stepped toward it, slowly scaling upwards to the very top.

The next platform depicted an image of another lady. She was dressed in a fine yellow gown, brown hair framing her face in the stained glass image. The woman seemed to fit the description, "the epitome of beauty".

A beam of light shining down at the center of the platform was there, and Riku found himself stumbling towards it, almost as though it were against his will. It was like the light was a haven from this weird place, one that would protect him from harm. But later, this turned out to be a big mistake.

_The closer you get to light, the greater your shadow becomes. _

Obviously, the statement confused Riku. What did they mean, "greater your shadow becomes"? Riku turned around to eye his shadow on the ground. It stretched the entire length of the platform, knocking a sense of worry into him. He wasn't that tall. When the shadow moved, he flinched. The shadow then jerked, coming out of the ground, slowly changing until it no longer looked like him. The shadow's hair was like spiky tendrils of darkness, all hideous and ugly, swaying wildly around its face. Its hands were claws, its feet almost like… grotesque ribbons.

_But don't be afraid. _

Riku swallowed hard with large difficulty.

_And don't forget… _

He stumbled backwards, turning as though to run, when he saw that it was no use to do so. If he ran, he would only fall off the edge of the platform. That left only one choice. Brandishing the blade, Riku dashed forward at top speed, slicing the weapon through the shadow's fist, which had just slammed into the ground. Jumping backwards, he saw those smaller ant-like creatures emerging from the area where the fist had slammed. "Damn…" he swore, taking a step backward.

The first creature lunged forward in an attempt to slice him with its claws. The attack had been rendered useless when Riku, once again, dodged the attack, slicing the shadow through its middle to kill it. He quickly turned to the rest of the shadows, killing them in easy slashes until there was no one there besides himself and his large "shadow".

"Hey, no more minions to save you!" he shouted at the shadow, narrowly avoiding a strange beam of light that had come from a strange, heart-shaped hole at where the heart should have been on the shadow. He dodged another, heading towards the other fist that the shadow possessed, which was slightly raised from the ground.

He sprinted towards the other side of the fist, whirling around as he sliced deep into the fist in a graceful spin. When the fist was pulled away into the air, another beam of light was sent to attack Riku.

However, this time, it was successful.

Riku hissed as he felt the pain, smelling the acrid scent of scorched flesh. He, ignoring the pain, darted to the other fist, which had not been raised into the air yet, slashing repeatedly at it with all his strength. "Why – won't – you – die?" he yelled, striking the fist one last time before his arm dropped to his side, limp with fatigue.

That was when an excerpt of a book he read, "Life and Death Battle with a Bengal Tiger", rang in his mind. _In an encounter with an enemy of superior physical bulk, attacks should be directed primarily toward the eyes. No matter the might of the warrior, no innate defenses can be trained to upper facial muscles… _

Riku smirked, and leapt suddenly, onto the hand as it was being pulled away from the ground, scuttling up the length of the arm as he made his way towards the shoulder. Sliding to a stop on it, he summoned the last of his strength and thrust his energy into a full-blown strike at the face.

With a monstrous roar, the creature shook Riku off, sending him flying off towards the ground. Turning his fall into a flip, he landed onto the ground, watching in horror as he weapon vanished while the monster did not.

_But don't be afraid. _

Riku answered the voice bitterly, "Who wouldn't be afraid of a gigantic, ugly creature that suddenly appeared in someone's life and tried killing them?"

Collapsing to his knees, he panted for air, palms against the cool glass to support himself. With one last glance at the shadow, he glowered daggers at it.

The dark vines of darkness had wrapped around his body, slowly pulling him into oblivion. The more he struggled, the stronger the force that pulled him in, leaving Riku with no choice but to hold still or be dragged in immediately. No longer was he focusing on the monster.

_-You hold the mightiest weapon of all. _

Riku closed his eyes, no longer struggling as the darkness soon began to swallow the rest of his body, shrouding his vision in blackness, as though he were blind.

_So don't forget… You are the one who will open the door. _

Riku was flicked into the realm of unconsciousness.


	2. Out of the Light, Into the Darkness

**Chapter Two: Out of the Light, Into the Darkness**

"_Such a bond so easily shredded, before my very eyes."_

Stirring, the first sense that Riku recovered was his hearing. The first thing he heard was a faint song. Strangely familiar, he gazed heavenward, as though it would give him his wanted answer, before lying back down, his eyelids fluttering shut to block his eyes from the world.

"_We were never meant to be, now were we?"_

He opened his eyes again, only to find someone blocking his line of sight, gazing down at him with a faint amusement. Riku shot up, soon sitting up on the sand as he turned to look at the person who had disturbed his rest.

"It was a-about time, Riku," came her amused voice, drifting to his ears. "I t-tried singing that s-song I made u-up, the one that you, Sora, a-and Kairi loved so m-much…" She paused. He could tell she was smiling. "It didn't w-work. I never k-knew you were such a lazy b-bum… s-snoozing down here…"

Riku stood up, turning around as he yawned and stretched. Gazing into the azure eyes of Kaiya, he smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I had a rather insane dream… there was this huge THING seemed to swallow me up… I couldn't breath… I couldn't-" Her hand was placed on his shoulder, silencing him, as Kaiya seemed to grin slightly at him.

"T-truly? Are you t-truly still d-dreaming?" she asked, inclining her head. "You should w-wake up soon if you w-want to come with the r-rest of us to o-other worlds…" She retracted her hand, arm dropping loosely back to her side. Kaiya turned to gaze out into the ocean with the same serene smile as the one in Riku's dream.

"Kaiya," Riku called out, causing the brunette to turn and avert her gaze to focus on him. "You and Kairi's hometown… what was it like?"

Sighing, Kaiya combed her hand through her hair, an unsure look in her eyes. "I-I'm not so s-sure… M-maybe…" She shook her head. "I c-can't remember. Sorry…" At this she seemed to droop, her shoulders slumping. "I don't r-remember a thing…"

"Still…" murmured Riku, almost to himself. "Don't you ever want to go back? After all, it _was_ your home, even if you can't remember anything about it…"

"W-well…" replied Kaiya, a small smile gracing her lips. "I'm happy h-here…" She paused again, as though thinking of the next thing she wanted to say, trying to put it in words. "I w-wouldn't mind though… if I were given the c-chance to s-see it… I would w-want to…"

"So would I," admitted Riku easily. "If there any worlds out there… I would want to go and see them all, along with your home world. It would be fun."

"So t-then," Kaiya continued, clasping her hands together behind her back in a Kairi-ish way, still smiling, "w-what are we waiting f-for?"

"Hey! You guys can't start forgetting about us!"

The two turned, amused, in the direction of the voice, to see Sora, looking as though he were going to pout, followed by a giggling Kairi. Sora wore a mock-annoyed expression, struggling to throw the log he was holding to Riku, though the silver-haired boy caught it with ease. He then marched up to Kaiya, who immediately began brushing imaginary sand off her clothes.

"Me and Kairi are the only ones working on the raft right now," started Sora, staring straight at Kaiya accusingly. The youngest girl grinned, standing up straight to stare back at him. "_And_, you're just as lazy as he is!" At this, Kaiya laughed, a blush crawling over her cheeks to coat them a light red color. Riku chuckled; knowing he was far from being lazy, though Sora accused him of being that.

"I g-guess I am," giggled Kaiya, brushing her brown hair out of her eyes and face. "Then we'll d-definitely finish it t-together." At this point, Kairi had walked over to her, and nudged the shorter girl, who nodded, an impish grin lighting up her face.

"We'll race you!" Kairi cried out, laughing and grinning as Kaiya smiled at them, as though silently urging them to agree.

"Wha?"

"What, are you kidding?" was Riku's immediate answer, staring at the two twins with disbelief etched across his face, incredulousness embedded in his voice's tone. Kaiya merely chuckled.

"R-ready…" she began, the two of the girls cupping their hands around their mouths, as though it would increase the volume of their voices.

"…_GO!_" finished Kairi, exchanging looks with Kaiya.

Riku and Sora both sprang to their feet, starting to sprint as quickly as possible to be the winner. Kaiya also had jumped to her feet, running after them like she too was part of the race, merely inches behind them. Kairi, who started last, barely trying, jogged after them, laughing cheerfully the entire time.

Riku felt himself grin. He loved his life, his friends, everything.

Yet, why did it feel like there was something missing?

* * *

"Here's the things we need: two logs, one cloth, and one rope. Bring everything back here. If you need any help, just ask me."

Riku nodded at the auburn-haired girl, who once again, clasped her hands together behind her back. It was a habit of hers. "Sure, Kairi."

"Oh, and could you find Kaiya for me? It's like she disappeared or something… But, I think she's just hanging out in the Secret Place."

"Sure, Kairi."

"And could you tell her to meet me here?"

"Sure, Kairi."

Kairi sighed; performing what she probably would have believed was a mock glare. "Stop being a broken record."

Riku smirked at the shorter girl. "Sure, Kairi."

"RIKU!"

"Okay, okay," he said jokingly, holding his hands up in defeat. "I'll get started now, if you please." Kairi merely nodded for him to start.

"Now where?" muttered Riku, staring about idly as he strolled down the shoreline, before stooping to collect a log from the ground. "That's one." The next few hours went by as a blur.

He had climbed up a ladder leading to a tree house, though it was completely unoccupied, and grabbed the cloth that was hanging up inside. The rope had been found at the platform Tidus, another boy living on the island, had been training. The last log had been found on the island with the paopu tree. After delivering the things to Kairi, she had given him a Hi-Potion, claiming it was his.

Since he had free time after collecting the items, Riku decided to spar. It would be fun, especially with Sora trying to beat him all the time. Selphie (another islander), Tidus, and Wakka (yet another) had caught up with him at the beach when he was about to swim to the Paopu Island to spar with Sora.

"Hey, Riku!" chirped Selphie animatedly, popping out in front of him out of nowhere.

"You wanna spar with us, ya?" asked Wakka, twirling a blitzball on a finger with one of his hands. Tidus, standing nearby, grinned, unsheathing his wooden sword, saying, "C'mon! One-on-three. It'll be fun. You'll get a challenge."

Riku smirked at them, unsheathing his own sword. "You're on."

It already began.

Deflecting Selphie's jump rope with merely a swish of the sword, causing it to fly back at the chirpy girl and hit her on the head, Riku ducked under Tidus' swing, spinning around once he was a good distance away to hit Wakka's blitzball right back at him. It hit dead on, causing the boy to groan.

"You're getting it now!" cried Tidus, dashing forward to Riku in a wild attempt to hit him. Though he had done a large onslaught of attacks, Riku parried every one, an amused grin on his face.

"You have enough? It's my turn." Riku dodged one last attack before hitting Tidus with his sword, causing the boy to stumble backwards and drop to the ground.

Wakka had recovered by now, aiming another blitzball at Riku. Selphie also recovered from being smacked around with her own jump rope, spinning it like a lasso as she hurried towards Riku to attack again. As Wakka tossed his blitzball, Riku used his wooden sword to redirect it at Selphie, knocking her off her feet and to the ground. When Wakka tossed another blitzball at him, Riku smacked it back at the boy, knocking him off his feet as well.

"Man, you're still strong as ever," groaned Wakka, slowly standing up to walk over to the others.

"I _told_ you not to go and challenge Riku," moaned Selphie, attempting to get onto her feet.

"Well, thanks for the fight, Riku," grumbled Tidus, walking away from him to go to Selphie and Wakka, where they began to chat amongst themselves.

Riku arched an eyebrow before shrugging, diving into the water to swim towards the paopu island. Once he reached it, he grabbed hold of the ladder, hoisting himself out of the water to climb out. When he reached the top, he shook himself off.

"Hey, Riku! Wanna spar? I already gave my stuff to Kairi!"

Riku smiled in the direction of the voice. "Sure, Sora. Just don't cry when you lose."

"Cocky as ever."

Sora leapt off the tree, readying his wooden sword. Riku did the same.

The first move was made in unison. They both moved. Riku had shifted his sword for a better defense while Sora charged, thrusting his sword forward in a horizontal slash. The blow was unsuccessful, mainly since Riku parried it.

"Hey! Give me a better match! You're not the Sora I know!" taunted Riku in an attempt to upgrade Sora's temper. Maybe then he would get a greater challenge. It worked. Sora growled, eyes flashing, before he jumped, landing closer to Riku, ducking under the taller male's attack to hit him.

Riku stumbled from getting hit, but recovered quickly, leaping high over Sora's head to land behind him, knocking him forward. The boy yelped, before jumping onto the bark of a coconut tree and climbing to the very top, taking a seat.

"What are you doing?" Riku called out to his best friend, an amused glint in his eyes. Sora merely crossed his arms, grinning.

"I'm not coming down 'till you forfeit."

"Fine. Then I won't forfeit. I'll leave you up there to starve."

Sora sighed, mock glaring at him. "Fine." He climbed down. "Draw. I suddenly don't feel like sparring."

Riku nodded, understanding him, before running across the bridge leading to the seaside shack, entering and dashing down the stairs. He heard a rustle inside, and a flicker of a shadow, before he took a peek. Nothing there. Sighing with defeat, he walked outside, turning to eye the secret place.

"Riku!"

The silver-haired boy turned to Kairi, who was wearing a distraught expression on her usually cheerful face. "Kaiya… I still can't find her! Is she in there?"

"I don't know. I was about to check."

"What are you guys doing?"

Sora had joined up with them.

"Kairi said that Kaiya seemed to vanish. We're going in the secret place to look for her."

Silently, without speaking to one another, they entered, walking through the tunnel to end up in the small, enclosed space that was the secret place.

"She's not here…" whispered Kairi, rubbing at her eyes. "Where is she?" The girl turned around, stumbling out.

"I'm going after Kairi, okay, Riku?" asked Sora, gnawing at his lip. Seeing Riku nod, he hurried out after Kairi.

There was a strange noise.

"Whose there?" Riku cried out to the darkness, eyes narrowing suspiciously as he looked around.

"This world has been connected. Tied to the darkness…" something – someone – boomed in a deep voice. They wore a cloak, the hood pulled over their head, shrouding it in impenetrable shadow. "Soon to be completely eclipsed…"

"Where is Kaiya?" Riku asked.

As if ignoring what he said, the voice continued, "You do not yet know what lies beyond the door. There is so much to learn. You understand so little…"

"Shut up," hissed Riku. "If that's the case, I _will_ go out there and learn."

"A meaningless effort. One who knows nothing can understand nothing."

As quick as they had come, they had gone. Riku cringed, despising this "person" before turning to look at the door. Eyes narrowing once more, he took one last look around before he turned his heel and left.

* * *

He later on discovered that Kairi and Sora had found Kaiya, sitting, dazed, on the paopu tree, muttering incomprehensible things, though they did catch some words like "light" and "dark". By the time he had gotten to the island, she had calmed down. Thus began their discussion of other worlds.

"So… Kairi and Kaiya's home is out there somewhere, right?" spoke up Sora, turning to face the others with a serene smile on his face. Kairi too smiled, though she still stared out into the sunset. For once, Kaiya did not blush, but like Kairi, stared out into the sunset with a smile.

"Could be. We'll never know by staying here," Riku chimed in seriously.

"Yeah, but… how far could a raft take us?" asked Sora curiously.

"Who knows? If we have to, we'll think of something else."

"Still… suppose we do get to another world? What would you do there?"

"Well… I haven't really thought about it. It's just that…"

Kaiya leaned forward curiously to stare at Riku, listening intently to his words. Sora did something similar, while Kairi simply smiled and watched him from her position on the paopu tree.

"I've always wondered why we're here, on this island. If there are any other worlds out there, why did we end up on this one? And, suppose there are other worlds… Then ours is just a little piece of something much greater. So, we could have just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?"

The last part had been mostly directed at Sora, who shifted backwards to sit on the tree more, shrugging, legs swinging. "I dunno."

"Exactly. That's why we need to go out there and find out. Just sitting here won't change anything." Riku sighed, and took a breath. "It's the same old stuff. So, let's just go."

"Y-you've been thinking a lot, h-haven't you?" questioned Kaiya, speaking for the first time since they had found her again. She inclined her head, waiting for a response patiently.

"Yeah… thanks to you and Kairi. If you two hadn't come here, I probably would have never thought of any of this. Thanks."

"You're welcome," the two girls replied together, Kairi's words masking Kaiya's stuttered ones.

The two of them leapt off the tree, walking together towards the docks. Riku watched Sora follow them, before turning his gaze to the paopu tree, grinning lightly. He seized one, plucking it from the tree, and threw it at Sora, crying out the other boy's name.

"Sora!"

Sora whirled around when he heard his name, catching the fruit just in the nick of time. It was yellow, shaped like a star.

"You wanted one, didn't you?" Riku prompted, walking towards him.

"A paopu fruit, huh…?"

"If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined. They'll remain a part of each other's lives, no matter what." His grin widened as he looked at Sora expectantly. "I know you wanna try it!"

Sora swallowed, his cheeks slowly turning to a red color as he snuck a glimpse at the two girls walking down the beach. His gaze was mainly fixed on the taller of the two. Kairi. Riku laughed, and that seemed to snap the brunette out of his trance. Shaking his head, he threw the fruit into the water, breaking into a dash after Kairi and Kaiya, Riku still laughing as he ran after him.

* * *

"Ready, set, GO!"

Both boys broke into a run, laughing as they raced each other to get to the paopu symbol and back. In the meanwhile, Kairi and Kaiya decided to half-watch, half-talk.

"Did you hear what they mentioned in the deal as well? Besides getting the chance to name the raft?" asked Kaiya quietly, almost solemnly, staring at the ground in a distracted manner.

"No," said Kairi, turning to face her sister. "Why?"

"I heard that they mentioned a paopu fruit… and… they... you..."trailed off Kaiya, her tone almost… sad?

Kairi's blue eyes widened in realization, no longer focusing on the race now. "Who is it?" she asked urgently, staring into her sibling's azure eyes. "Who?"

Kaiya merely shook her head, turning to look at the race again, refusing to allow another word escape her lips, no matter how much urging Kairi tried.

Several minutes later, the boys had finished their trek around the other side of the island, panting. Riku grinned at Sora, breathing heavily. "I win. It's two-to-zero. The raft's name is Highwind."

"Heeeey…" protested Sora, about to speak up when he turned around. "Where's Kaiya going?"

"She said that collected the provisions we needed for the raft," explained Kairi, watching as the auburn-haired girl made her way towards the raft, slowly slipping away from view. "We can take the rest of the day off. At least, that's what she insisted. We all know how persistent Kaiya can be, so let's just do that…"

Kairi smiled softly, and turned to walk to the raft as well, a heavy feeling in her heart. Kaiya _did_ mention the paopu fruit. Turning her gaze skywards, she sighed.

"Kaiya… _who?_"

* * *

Riku laid in bed, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. The room was quite a mess. Clothes were strewn all over the ground, papers littered the surfaces of desks. Sighing, he swung his legs over the edge, making his way to the balcony, where he pulled open the doors and stepped outside.

Something caught his eye.

Something was floating in the sky. What was worse was that there was a storm brewing. Realization hit him.

"The raft!"

He leapt over the edge, landing perfectly on his feet on the ground, sprinting towards the docks. His mother's calls for dinner were unheeded, falling upon deaf ears. After reaching the dock, he quickly untied his boat, paddled to the island, and got out, stepping onto the wood of the small dock that was there. Two other boats caught his eye.

"Sora's boat! And Kairi and Kaiya's!"

It was obvious to him that the three also came to the island in order to save the raft. Biting his lip, Riku froze in place when he saw a dark shadow rise from the ground. It was one of those creatures he had seen while he was dreaming. Worse, there were more of them. When he tried to hit them with his wooden sword, it merely slid through them, like they were made out of water. The monsters remained unharmed.

Riku clenched his other fist, before hurling the wooden sword out to the ocean, knowing it was useless to him and would only be extra weight. Dashing to make it towards the other side of the island, he saw a door standing at the entrance of the secret place. Curious, he reached out a hand and grasped the handle, pulling. It creaked, but did not open. Riku mentally noted to himself that he should find the others first.

Something in the back of his mind told him to go to the Paopu Island. Deciding to trust it, the platinum-haired boy leapt away from the door, jumping over the creatures as he hurried to the paopu tree island. Instead of swimming, he decided to go into the seaside shack and cross the bridge from there.

When he _did_ reach the island, someone was already there.

"Sora!" he called to the other boy, who was staring out into the ocean, sprinting over. "Where are Kairi and Kaiya? I thought they were with you!"

"The door has opened…" Sora answered idly. Riku's eyes widened. That did _not_ sound like Sora. Sora's voice was different. This one seemed like it was his voice fused with a deeper, crueler voice. Like a double voice.

"What are you talking about?" Riku hollered over the swishing of wind, eyes narrowing into slits now. This definitely wasn't Sora. Was he still dreaming? He pinched himself. Nope. It hurt.

"The door has opened, Riku!" shouted Sora, slowly turning around, a malicious smile on his usually optimistic face. "Now we can go to the outside world!"

The other thing Riku noticed about Sora was that his eyes, instead of being their beautiful blue shade, were now a fiery, malevolent blood red. His suspicions had been confirmed. Sora was possessed. Something – someone – was controlling him.

"Are you crazy?" Riku yelled back, positively incredulous and indignant. "Why are you thinking about that now? We have to find Kairi and Kaiya!"

"They're coming with us, Riku!" cried Sora in his double voice, before the brunette screamed out in pain and fell to his knees.

"Sora, what's wrong?" Riku ran over, bending to help his friend. "What happened?"

"Get out of my head! Leave me alone!" screamed Sora, his voice now completely normal now. But it trembled, fear and terror instilled within. "Go away! I don't care what you say, I _won't_ give in to the darkness!" He opened his eyes. They were blue again.

However, tendrils of darkness, like what Riku had seen in his dream, began to appear, wrapping themselves around Sora, who jumped up, blinking. They were red now. Turning to Riku, he extended a hand.

Riku was hesitant to take it. This wasn't the real Sora, but what choice did he have? This reminded of his dream, when Sora had been standing in the ocean and reached his hand out. Brushing the thought out of his head, Riku struggled to grab Sora's hand, the darkness slowly pushing him away from Sora. Just as he was about to grab the hand, there was a great flash of light.

The cool touch of metal was felt against his hand. Raising the weapon to view it, Riku stared in shock. It was an oversized key. Whispers were heard as he looked around, the creatures he had seen before seeming to speak without lips, backing away in fright.

_Keyblade… Keyblade… Keyblade…_

Cautiously approaching Riku, eyes glinting with bloodlust, the creatures seemed to shrug the thought off, reaching their eager claws towards him. In alarm, Riku swung the Keyblade at some of them, surprised when they dispersed into wisps of black smoke. His thoughts flew back to the door. 'I have to find Kairi and Kaiya now! They might be in there!'

In his entire run towards the door, he killed the creatures, hoping in vain that it would perhaps save the island from being overpopulated with them. As he ran across the beach, he stumbled, seeing the creatures cluster around something. Out of instinct, he darted over and destroyed the shadows.

"Riku, Sora, Kaiya!" cried out Kairi's voice. Riku instantly reached out to help her when she suddenly gasped and fell backwards into the ground, darkness swallowing her form. Riku yelled in rage, knowing that the darkness had taken Kairi as well. Trembling, he continued towards the door. Sharply thrusting a hand out, he gave the door a hard push. It creaked, and slowly swung open to admit him.

A terrible scream rang out once the door shut behind him, maybe to never open again.

"Kaiya!" Riku shouted, running through the tunnel to stop in front of a figure. Their bloodstained shirt and jeans were torn. Kaiya.

"R-Riku!" Kaiya screamed, reaching out a bloodstained hand towards him, eyes filled with dread and terror, when she stumbled, the door behind her bursting open, wind rushing through the entire area. She was pushed forward.

Riku held out his arms in an attempt to catch her, but when she was shoved towards him, Kaiya passed through him as though he weren't even there, vanishing from view. Riku was pulled into the door by the force.

When he next opened his eyes, he was back outside of the secret place, on the island. What implanted the fear now bubbling inside of him was that he was standing on only a fragment of the island, all that was left. Rising from the center of the area, though, was what made him stagger backwards, his insides twisting.

"Darkside…" he whispered, recognizing the creature from his dream. The name had just flew into his head. Maybe it was a spur-of-the-moment thing.

Riku immediately tightened his grip around the Keyblade, before rushing forward at the monster's fist, slicing the Keyblade into the "flesh" of the creature. It howled out in rage, summoning some of its "minions" to help out. Ignoring them, Riku remembered his strategy from his dream, and jumped up onto the hand, running up the arm as he plunged the Keyblade into the monster's head.

The rest was a blur.

The monster had been pulled up into a red sphere that loomed above them, disappearing into its depths. Riku had shielded himself from all the wind with his arms, only to be pulled upwards as well.

Everything went numb.

* * *

Do you all like the twists (if there are any?)? Yes, this story _is_ still mostly based on the games, but I _did_ alter it with extra characters and my own twists. Review please, and tell me your favorite part :D 


	3. The Man Named Leon

**Chapter Three: The Man Named Leon**

A soft groan escaped his lips as his eyelids fluttered open to reveal aqua eyes. Staring into his was another pair of them. He yelped as a wet tongue lapped out of the creature's mouth and began licking his cheek. After closer inspection, Riku discovered that the creature was a dog. It drew back, panting excitedly, as he stood up, almost unwilling to realize what was happening.

"…W-where am I?" he asked no one in particular; staring around the alleyway they were located in. This didn't help. Sighing, Riku turned to the dog. "Do you know where we are?" The dog merely panted some more, tongue hanging out, before bounding out of the alleyway. Riku made a noise of protest, reaching out a hand to try and stop the canine, but allowed it to flop back to his side again when he realized it was pointless.

Bringing his hand to his head to rake it through silvery tresses, Riku turned and walked, a little hesitantly, out of the alleyway to stop when another sight greeted his aqua eyes. Destiny Islands definitely did _not_ look like this; therefore, he concluded that it was another world. But, for once, he didn't seem at all excited about different worlds now. No, his prime concern was to find Sora, Kairi, and Kaiya again.

Pursing his lips momentarily, the platinum-haired boy spun around and eyed a glowing sign, his eyes fleetingly averting to other beings that were in the vicinity. One was a strange creature with a large pom-pom coming out of the top of its head, and several other humans strolled around casually.

Nervously licking his now somewhat chapped lips, Riku stepped over to the entrance a shop labeled the "Accessories Shop" and reached a hand over to the door, pale fingers curling over the smooth metal of the handle. He swung it open, walking through, allowing the door to close shut once more behind him. His pointed stare around the area granted him full permission to inspect the inside. It was a simple shop filled with several couches, a fireplace, and in one corner was a counter. Standing behind it was a blonde man, a toothpick held in between his lips.

"How can I-" began the man, but cut himself off, a small grin lighting his face. "Feh. It's just a kid." Immediately, an indignant expression sprung to Riku's face.

"My name isn't _kid!_" he shouted at the man, a scowl making its way onto his lips. "It's Riku." He then allowed a sullen sigh escape his lips once more, a glum expression replacing his indignant one.

"…So then…" started the man once more, propping himself up on the counter with his elbows. "Why the long face, Riku?" The boy raised his head, pacing forward to slightly lean against the counter.

"…Destiny Islands…" he murmured, almost to himself. "…My home. My best friends. Sora, Kairi, Kaiya. They're all gone now. These strange black creatures invaded it and then after fighting them for a while, I ended up here…" It was a short version of what had occurred, but nevertheless, it was quite accurate.

The man paused, an almost sympathetic look crossing his face. "Sorry to hear that then, Riku. But I think 'yer island is long gone now. This is Traverse Town."

Riku inhaled a sharp intake of breath. "Traverse Town, huh? I'll remember it… but for now… I'm going to look for my friends." He turned to leave, but the man's voice interrupted him.

"The name's Cid. If you run into trouble, just come to me. I'll look after you." At this, the adolescent smiled for a moment before nodding without turning back to him and exiting the shop. Taking his time to examine the area once more, Riku randomly picked a direction and followed it. Very soon, he reached a set of large doors. Mentally encouraging himself to proceed, he shoved the door open and walked through, neglecting to find out what lied beyond.

The place, which had a sign of "Second District" labeled on the wall, had one level higher than the other, which was the one he stood upon. Around him were the windows of shops, slightly glowing from lights that illuminated the insides. A hotel entrance stood in one direction. A flight of stone steps led to the bottom section of the district, which had a fountain standing in one side, strange images of bells around it. Near there was the entrance to what looked like an alleyway, and in another area was an alleyway that led somewhere else. He decided to check where that led to first.

Before he could take another step forward though, rushed footsteps caught his undivided attention. Riku watched helplessly, as though he were trapped behind a wall of unyielding glass, as a man stumbled past and tripped, resulting in being sprawled across the ground. However, a noise of trembling metal sauntered toward the man, revealing itself to be one of those shadows. This time, it was a taller one that wore a helmet. This creature plunged its eager claw into the man's chest and withdrew a glowing, radiant heart-shaped object. The man's limp body disappeared to become another one of the creatures, and both vanished through portals.

Gradually pulling themselves out of the ground were the shadows Riku had fought on the island. They circled him, trapping the teenager like he was mere prey. Clenching his teeth, the male winced, scrunching his hand into a fist almost when he tried to call the Keyblade to him. Then, a small flash of light ensued, and there it was, gleaming in all its glory. Grinning, Riku leapt, gracefully jumping over the cluster of creatures. Whirling around, Keyblade spinning with his movements, he destroyed all of the nearby ones in a matter of seconds.

"That was easy," he remarked, but reminded himself to not get too cocky, an important fact he always happened to overlook. Underestimation of the enemy's skills led to one's downfall, as Kaiya had once lectured to him. A wrench of nostalgia swept over him like a stubborn cloud of bees at the thought of his light red-brown haired friend.

Dashing through the district, Keyblade swishing to and fro as metal met darkness, more and more of the creatures were destroyed as his curiosity led him towards the alleyway that winded on. As he followed it, the male was soon led to a large door. After defeating another horde of emerging shadows, he shoved it open and walked through, marveling at the brightness of everything in the next area. It was purple, lights glowing everywhere. A staircase led to the lower area of this district, the third, where another door was, though locked.

Riku glanced around, idly destroying a nearby creature, and sighed. "Nothing here. Might as well head back to the first district," he muttered, turning around and heading back up the stairs. Running through the entire district back to the second, he suddenly remembered that he had not entered the hotel or the "gizmo shop", as it had been labeled, when he passed the two buildings. However, through a quick run through the hotel, he found, to his distaste, that no one was there. At the gizmo shop, all he saw were those shadows, which he quickly destroyed.

Now, he stood, leaning against the doors leading into the second district, since he was now in the first. Breathing heavily, Riku wiped beads of sweat from his forehead and made his way back to the accessory shop.

"Still haven't found 'em yet?" came the gruff voice of Cid. Riku swallowed, and muttered under his breath, "No…"

"Take another look 'round town," coaxed the blonde man, swatting at Riku for him to go with his hands from the area he stood. Riku blinked briefly at him before turning his heel and exiting the shop. As he stepped outside, Keyblade at ready, though the look on his face was rather grim, he perked up when a voice issued from the shadows in a corner.

"They'll come at you at of nowhere, so long as you continue to wield the Keyblade."

Riku spun around to face the region the voice had come from. "Whose there? Show yourself!" he called out, albeit a tad nervously.

A man stepped out from his spot in the shade, revealing his appearance. He had hair of brown color that seemed slightly spiky, reaching a little below his shoulders. A white shirt was clad on him, a black jacket of leather worn over. Black pants, also leather, were worn as well, two brown belts looping around his waist to create a skewed X. An ornament remained suspended around his neck, the shape much like a lion in a way. Held in the man's grip was a long, sleek gun-like weapon of silver.

"Yet… why would it choose a kid like you…?" the man murmured softly to himself, almost silent enough for Riku to not hear him, despite their close distance. Riku's eyes narrowed. He hated being called a kid. The adolescent chose to remain silent. "…Now then. Let's see that Keyblade."

"Over my dead body!"

The man sighed, a look in his eyes telling those who looked into them that he was slightly annoyed. "Have it your way then."

In a matter of seconds, Riku had moved, quick as his legs could carry him, toward his opponent, Keyblade swishing through the air as it was pulled back and then thrust forward. Swift as lightning though, the man had dodged, now behind Riku, and readied his gun-weapon, slicing it towards Riku's unprotected back. The younger male instantaneously snapped his weapon around to parry the blow, moving backwards as he did to place some distance between the two.

"Fast…" he hissed, leaping overhead and landing near the man's back to strike. But he had landed there just in time to receive a face-full of flame, knocking him backwards into the solid wall of a nearby building. Hissing out as he ignored the pain, Riku flinched at the noise of cracking bones, and hastily moved to run. He was too late though. In a blur of body and weapon, the man had dashed over, knocked him over the head, and caused his vision to blacken until all went numb.

The man's stoic gray eyes flashed as his ninja ally came along, calling out to him. "You found it! Good going, Squall!"

"That's Leon," the man corrected, continuing, "But things are worse than we thought. A lot worse."

The ninja glanced at the fallen boy now sprawled on the ground. "…"

* * *

_A voice called out, as though reading a passage from a slip of paper._

"_If the door has been closed by the key known as the Keyblade, you probably cannot reach that world's heart again. Before the one with the Keyblade appears in this world, I must take measures to do something.__  
_

"_Supposing that there is a close relationship between the Princesses and the Keyblade, it seems likely that they will resonate with each other...__  
_

"_I have chosen two special girls. I do not know if they possess a power like that of the Princesses. But, there is a chance, and this is an experiment. They may lead me to the place where the one holding the key is..."_

_There was a long silence as the voice paused, soon sounding like it was no longer reading, but thinking…_

"_Two others have potential to wield this weapon known as the Keyblade. These two girls may be the keys to finding out which _will_ be able to. They have connected bonds…"_

_There was a flash. Two figures stood to replace the one that had vanished._

_One was dressed in black and purple robes, a long staff held in their free hand. What looked like the shape of horns protruded from their head as their slender fingers reached beneath the chin of a brunette, though they were just a bit taller. She smiled maliciously._

"_It's true…"_

_The boy shuddered and a single tear slid down his right cheek from his blue eyes. He closed them._

"…_Sora."_

_Red replaced blue when his eyes reopened._

* * *

"Sora!" he called out, immediately springing up from his position on the bed, sitting up. Breathing heavily, Riku blinked. _'Just a dream…'_ he thought absently, reaching a hand up to rub his temples. 

"You okay?"

He glanced up at where the voice had come from. It was Kaiya. Blinking, he numbly nodded, but deep down, he was mentally questioning why she wasn't stuttering.

"Those creatures that attacked you are after the Keyblade…" she murmured almost thoughtfully, turning to stare around the room. "…Still… it's your heart they really want, because you wield the Keyblade…" Prying her gaze away from a nearby painting, Kaiya turned back to stare at him in the face.

"…Well…" started Riku, lifting his chin to stare into her eyes. "Still, I'm glad you're okay, Kaiya…"

The girl suddenly jumped back, staring at him weirdly. "What're you talking about?" she asked. "I'm the Great Ninja Yuffie," she boasted cheerfully.

Kaiya's features melted away to reveal a girl dressed in a rather skimpy outfit of a green top, headband, yellow scarf, and yellow short shorts, a rather bright blue belt looping her waist. She had short black hair that just about reached her shoulders.

"I think you overdid it, Squall," the ninja called over to a corner. Then, coming from the shadows was a man. The same man that had knocked him out. Riku's eyes narrowed considerably.

"That's Leon," the man corrected crisply.

Riku chose this time to speak. "Keyblade…?" he murmured softly, almost questioningly, eyes blazing with curiosity and wonder.

"Yup," interjected Yuffie, willingly taking part in the explaining. "We had to get it away from you to shake off the Heartless," she said, sighing. "Turns out that that was how they were tracking you."

"It was the only way to conceal your heart from them," Leon spoke up. "It won't work for long, but still… it's hard to believe that you… of all people… are the chosen one…"

Riku rolled his eyes, somewhat irritated at how everyone kept on commenting with "You're a KID, so HOW are YOU the chosen one?" hidden within its deepest chambers as a veiled meaning.

Leon took the Keyblade from the ground, hoisting it in his hand, and swung it through the air. The Keyblade burst into flashes of bright light, vanishing from Leon's grasp and reappearing in Riku's. The astonished boy gazed at it with a look of fair interest.

Leon sighed. "I suppose beggars can't be choosers."

Riku opened his mouth to speak, annoyance coming into play, when he was interrupted by a sudden, sharp knock on the door. Without waiting to be accepted into the room, it swung open to give entry to a tall, regal figure carrying a lengthy, skeletal sword in hand. They swung it onto their shoulder, resting it there for several moments before lifting it back up and stabbing it into the ground, wiping the little sweat they had from their forehead.

"The Heartless are here. They are sensing through our attempts to mask the Keyblade master from them. Our time is running short," they continued curtly. Riku stared wide-eyed at them, enthralled at the beauty the newcomer possessed.

Long hair of the darkest color of night flowed gently past their shoulders like an unstoppable cataract, only ending several inches below their mid-back. It was silken and lovely; enough to make others around probably surrender to the desire to run their fingers through it. A pale face of the whitest alabaster was before them, silvery eyes of endless depths gazing calculatingly at them. Nearly blood-red lips coiled into a faint smirk. Their cheeks were tinted with a faint pink glow, despite their paleness. The person's figure was definitely too curvy for their age, slender and willowy. Their movements were quite graceful and fluid. They were clad in a dark outfit of midnight blue that was nearly as dark as their hair. Fingerless, black gloves kept a firm grip around their hands. A short-sleeved shirt with a modest collar was worn as a top, shorts worn on their lower body. Black sneakers clothed their feet.

Then there was that skeletal, ominously dark sword. It winded this way and that, almost as though it had a life of its own. The material it was crafted with didn't even look like metal. It looked like something else… something more… powerful. Something _more…_ It was nearly five feet long in length, and looked sharp enough to slice through flesh like it were mere tissue paper of little value.

Riku took another moment to stare at them before reopening his mouth to speak. "Who are-"

The group was interrupted by the appearance of a dark portal and a creature – no, "Heartless", as Yuffie and the newcomer had stated – popped out. Only this time, it wore a large helmet and was seemingly different from the other creatures encountered earlier. Riku stared at it in shock, only snapped out of his trance a swish later when the newcomer sliced the Heartless in half using their sword with ease.

"Leave, Yuffie," they shot at the ninja, who blinked, narrowed her eyes at them for half a second, and turned her heel, fleeing from the battle site. She slammed open another door, somehow causing a loud shriek and quack to emit from the other side, and continued through, vanishing from view.

"An'ya, Riku, let's go!" Leon called out, dashing past to another door. He slammed it open and ran outside, jumping over the ledge of what Riku guessed was a balcony. The girl that had been called An'ya followed, swinging gracefully over the edge and landing perfectly on her feet. Riku did the same.

"Don't bother with small fry. Find the leader!"

Then Leon left, leaving Riku with only those words as his company. That is, except for-

"Did you not heed him? Search for the leader," An'ya cut in, pulling her arm back and then forward again, releasing her sword to allow it to swing in circles like a boomerang and destroy all the nearby Heartless that surrounded them. "If you wish to die now, be my guest."

Riku narrowed his eyes and turned to leave. An'ya merely chuckled and followed him. Very soon, he appreciated her company; even though they were only running past Heartless, some still strayed after them, seeking to do harm. With An'ya's help, they were quickly destroyed.

"Third District, if you will," commented An'ya dryly from behind him. They were in the second district again after running out of the alleyway, standing near the fountain. Riku pursed his lips and let her do the leading. After all, she _did_ seem to know where to go, didn't she?

"How do you know this stuff?" he called out as they ran.

"I sense the presence of a Heartless with greater power than these pathetic Soldiers and Shadows," remarked An'ya. "Quite simple. If you are skilled in the art of magic, it is likely that you will be able to do things such as these…" They reached the door leading into the Third District. Riku pulled it open and walked through, unfazed by the slam that was heard when it closed.

Dashing down the stairs, Riku stopped when he heard some yelling, and looked up just in time to see two figures fly down. He jerked and attempted to run, but was crushed under the weight. An'ya, fortunately for her, jumped out of the way and landed back at the top of the district near the door they had come from, watching them as she casually leaned on the ledge.

"The key!"

Riku blinked, and registered what the two figures that had crushed him had said. Well, duh, the _Key_blade was technically a key. They didn't have to announce it to the world all proud and-

Suddenly, pillars sprung up at all the stairways, blocking any attempts at escape. The Heartless that had worn helmets popped out through portals, jerking back and forth in an almost drunken manner as they wobbled over to the trio.

Immediately, the duck and dog people that had fallen on him sprung off, charging into battle. The duck continuously called out "Fire" and would blast a nearby Heartless with a small fireball, but effectively destroy it. The dog would keep on charging at the black creatures with his shield.

Shrugging, Riku leapt into the fray, slicing Heartless here and there. Copying An'ya's attack from before, he pulled his arm back and thrust it out, flinging the Keyblade. Like he had predicted, it swerved in a circle, killing numerous Heartless, and swung back into his grip. He caught it and moved to kill a Heartless that was wobbling around in a corner.

This one proved that it held more intelligence than the rest. It jumped and began to run around in circles. Riku chased after it, Keyblade brandished angrily, swinging wildly after it. "Get your butt over here!" the silver-haired boy yelled indignantly, finally managing a long leap and landing right in front of it. With one deft swipe, he destroyed it, making the Soldier Heartless disappear in a flurry of black particles that eventually faded from existence.

Then, it happened.

A large, purple, _thing_ fell from the sky, landing right in front of all three of them. Riku, the duck, and the dog.

"…Whoa."

The Heartless' "hands" and "feet" swung about threateningly, clinking and clanking this way and that as they smacked against walls and even the main torso section of itself. Once, one swerved rather close to Riku, missing him by a centimeter.

Annoyed, Riku dashed after it, launching that same boomerang trick that he had picked up from An'ya, calling out, "Strike Raid!" He believed it was a suitable name for the attack.

His aim was true. The attack struck the hand that had almost clawed him and then sliced through it again to get back at him. This caused this hand to instantly dissipate and vanish. Riku grinned. That part was easy.

Just then, the other hand slammed into him, sending him flying backwards into a nearby wall. The sickening sound of cracking bones filled his ears, resonating until he personally wanted to become deaf. Wobbling slightly, Riku shook his head and leapt back to the fight.

Both duck and dog had demolished the two feet. That was good to know.

Riku inhaled sharply and dodged another swipe from the clawed hand and used Strike Raid again, hurling the Keyblade at the hand. It missed and struck the torso instead, but on the way back, it hit the hand and destroyed it. The duck finished off the torso with a cry of "Fire" once more.

The three watched cautiously as the armor trembled. Then, a large heart flew out of the head of the Heartless, soon vanishing. Then, the entire Heartless vanished. Riku panted heavily. He voiced everyone's thoughts aloud just then.

"YES!"

* * *

"Oh? So Leon and Yuffie forgot to give you an explanation? It most likely slipped their minds," chuckled An'ya, a faint smirk gracing her tender lips as she gazed into Riku's frustrated face that was riddled with annoyance. It was obvious that he was pissed. 

"You ran off at the last second!" he shouted at her, eyes narrowed into slits as he pointed a finger accusingly at her.

"I suppose I did," admitted An'ya, "however, it was for your own good. My skills in battle are polished and ready. However, you, on the other hand… your ability has rusted. If you do not train yourself, you will surely perish in battle. I suppose that is not desired for, since you _are_ the Keybearer, despite how… arrogantly impossible and different you seem." Riku's glare did not soften, but he sighed anyway and shook his head in exasperation.

"You still owe me an explanation."

"Very well," An'ya sighed, adjusting her position so she could properly lean against the wall. Her sword vanished instantly, as it was not needed at the moment. "The weapon you wield is what we entitle the Keyblade. It is a legendary weapon of colossal power with the power to destroy the darkness and save the worlds… or turn against the light and wreck havoc amongst the worlds. It depends on whether or not the wielder wishes to join the dark or the light. So… which will you choose? The light?" She didn't bother waiting for an answer. "I assume that you _have_ decided to side with the light."

"Y-yeah…" Riku stuttered, confused with her words. "But why did the Keyblade choose _me_?"

An'ya's gray eyes flickered to his face, staring so intently at him that it felt like they were boring holes through his head. "The Keyblade chooses whoever has the potential," she answered at last. "It chose you because of that reason." She pushed off the wall and began striding towards the duck and dog. "Well, I shall leave you three to discuss things on your own. Call me when you are finished… if you will." She turned her heel briskly and left. Riku stared after her for a moment before turning to the duck and dog.

"Who are you?" he shot at them.

"Ay-uck, my name is Goofy, captain of the guard," greeted the dog with a wave, grinning goofily. Riku understood why the dog had that name now.

"I am Donald, the king's most trusted mage!" the duck boasted, throwing out his chest in a display of pride. Riku chuckled lightly at that, and the duck rounded on him with a glare. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing."

"…"

"Here, take this, ay-uck." Riku reached out and grasped what Goofy offered him and felt a sudden burst of energy run through his veins. Donald huffed for a moment before shoving something into his hands. Riku blinked and tried to grasp it, but it sunk into his skin before he had the chance to. A downpour of warmth flooded through his body.

"Now you can cast Fire…" Donald trailed off.

"Gawrsh, you didn't tell us your name before," Goofy tried. "Couldn't ya tell us now?"

Riku sighed. "It's Riku."

He predicted that it would be a _long_ day…

* * *

I'm so sorry for not updating in like… forever! I promise like I'll work on this more. 

Oh, and don't worry. There will be plenty of male OC people too… well, actually, maybe not, because I don't _want_ many OC people at all.

Review please!


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